First published in 1993. There are around 16 million women in Britain aged 16 to 59. A total of 6 400 000 live in households with children under 16, representing 40 per cent of all women under retirement age (Employment Gazette, 1990). The vast majority of women living in households with children are mothers looking after their own offspring. Hardship and Health in Women's Lives explores the lives of these 6 million women. It is particularly concerned with their domestic lives, and with the responsibilities and routines that structure what they do at home.